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Bootstrappers 2013 – A Year in Review

What You Can Learn

2014 has begun and like me, you’re probably looking for ways to improve. If you’re trying to build your business, grow your audience or just start earning revenue from a side-project, you’ve come to the right place. Fortunately, a few ‘internet-famous’ bootstrappers and entrepreneurs have bared all for their Year in Review posts. Amy Hoy reveals month by month numbers for her SaaS app going back 5 years (she’s making over $1K per day), Justin shows us how you can earn $20K whilst having a full time job, children and a passion for snowboarding.

You can learn where others have made mistakes so you can avoid them. You can learn where others have succeeded so that you can implement some of the same strategies and start 2014 with a boost.

Kalzumeus Software Year In Review 2013

Patrick’s thoroughly detailed and humorous post details the ‘what went right’ and ‘what went wrong’ for each of his revenue streams. Patrick also reveals his Standard Operating Procedures Document for how to run each of his businesses with respect to their principles and support policies.

Justin’s story is a little different from the others as it’s all about how he has created revenue from a side-business. Justin is a Product Manager by day and a ‘Product Creator’ by night. He has a full-time job, 4 kids at home and shows you how he has built and sold products in his spare time. His mantra is Just F&^*ing Do it and he has shown how he brings in £20K per year by working at weekends and during the evening.

Startup Lessons Learned from my Failed Startup

Sergio details the mistakes that most of us make. Most of us jump head-first in to the next shiny project without validating the market. Sergio goes through a blow-by-blow account of what he right and what he did wrong. Understanding your customers is so important – make sure that before you right a line of code, identify a painful problem and confirm it by talking to customers. Only then should you start putting energy in your product.

Matt’s Year in Review really squashes the common misconceptions about startups. It’s a honest piece about growing two software businesses with his girlfriend and business partner. Whilst they get many thing right, they also get things wrong. Plan for a longer timescale than you think and rigorously simplify.

How I Changed The World In 2013

Brennan went from strength to strength in 2013 and has grown his products and his email lists within the freelancer/consultant niche. A thoroughly detailed piece, Brennan’s jewel in the crown is certainly his knowledge of his audience and how he uses tools like Infusionsoft to encourage sales.

Two Years After Quitting My Job – 2013 In Review

Nathan’s commitment to producing great, actionable content is second-to-none. Growing his email list from 5,000 to 15,000 over the course of the year was due to an intense learning and content creation strategy. Nathan continues to write 1,000 words per day without fail and enjoy’s a traveller’s lifestyle with his wife and son.

5 Years of SaaS Growth – Every Month, Exact Numbers

The inimitable Amy Hoy continues to produce thought provoking, brutally honest content that hopes to remove the the lies of the startup world. Amy has released monthly revenue figures for time tracking SaaS app, Freckle. Her blog is full of ass-kicking advice and motivation that shows you how it’s possible to create an online business without working 100 hours a week.

Revenue Grew 20x in 2013

Colin is the only one in this list who took investment, i.e. not a true boostrapper, but his stories and advice are still valuable to anyone looking to start or grow an online business. Increasing revenue from $300k per year, he is hoping to 5x revenue in 2014.

15 Most Popular Essays in 2013

Ryan is a larger-than-life character who can’t take a smile off his face. Whilst being a Product Manager at PlayHaven, he chose to push himself by relentlessly creating content and products for the internet to behold. Ryan has cofounded Product Hunt and contributed to Hooked, a book with Nir Eyal in the last year.